Meretz Protests Ban on Jibril Rajoub Speech

Chairwoman Zahava Gal-On of the leftist Meretz party criticized Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon for not allowing Jibril Rajoub, a senior member of the Fatah terror council, from speaking at the Meretz convention on Sunday. The gathering will deal with the party's diplomatic platform. Gal-On claimed, "Somebody in the army is trying to return us to the bad days, when it was forbidden for Israelis to speak with Palestinians." Noting that Rajoub leaves the Palestinian Authority (PA) freely for visits to other parts of Israel, she called the decision puzzling, adding, "This is an attempt at muzzling, which harms one of the most prominent men of peace on the other side, and it is hard to escape the feeling that the security establishment is making decisions which are political and not [based on] professional security [merits]."